A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.-- Lao-tzu

Friday, September 26, 1997

What do you really want?

So much of our pain and sorrow comes from seeking fulfillment in places and ways in which it is not possible.

We can never get enough of that which we don’t really want in the first place. As such, despair comes not from an inability to get what we go after, but rather from going after that which we don’t want, and failing to pursue that which would truly bring fulfillment.

Though a nutritional deficiency will make you hungry, it won’t be corrected by eating junk food, no matter how much of it you eat. Emotional pain cannot be solved by drugs and alcohol. And an emptiness in your life, cannot be filled by just anything that comes along.

It takes effort to look beyond the superficial, and to discover what is truly meaningful in your life. Yet the reward is great, because it sets you free from the struggle and pain associated with things you don’t really want anyway.